Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) on Monday again called for the relocation of the Legislative Yuan to Taichung, saying that he has advocated the “alleviation of pressure on the capital” for more than 10 years, citing academics’ warnings that 4,000 buildings would topple if a temblor similar to the magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck Tainan on Feb. 6 were to occur in Taipei, which Lin said would paralyze the nation.
He said that his call for the relocation of the Legislative Yuan to Taichung is not to compete against other cities and counties, but for Taiwan to develop into a “multi-centered” nation.
Lin also said that the Legislative Yuan should apply cultural heritage status to its Japanese colonial-era compound, which housed the school buildings of the former Taihoku Prefectural Second Girls’ High School.
The relocation of the Legislative Yuan is “what the trend demands,” Lin said, urging the Taichung City Government Urban Development Bureau to incorporate the possible relocation into the city’s plans that aim to make the Wuri District (烏日), where a high-speed rail station is located, into a sub-center of the city.
Lin on Monday said in a city administration meeting that both newly elected Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) and Deputy Legislative Speaker Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) supported the proposal of relocation, adding that while relocating the Executive Yuan might involve a large number of civil servants and their families, the relocation of the Legislative Yuan would be relatively simple.
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A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all